Apparatus and method for making ice for a refrigerator

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for making ice for a refrigerator. The apparatus includes an ice making compartment configured to accommodate an ice tray and to store ice therein, and a first refrigerant pipe configured to move cold air that is circulated by a refrigeration cycle. At least one side surface of the ice making compartment is made of an iron plate material. One side surface of the ice tray is formed within a body comprising a cooling plate, wherein the cooling plate comes in direct contact with a side wall comprising the iron plate material. The first refrigerant pipe is attached to an outer surface of the side wall comprising the iron plate material by an aluminum tape.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to and the benefit of the Republic of Korea Patent Application Serial Number 10-2015-0085075, having a filing date of Jun. 16, 2015, filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a refrigerator, and more particularly to an apparatus and a method for making ice for a refrigerator.

BACKGROUND

A refrigerator unit is an apparatus intended to store food items at low temperatures. The refrigerator unit may store foods in a frozen or refrigerated state according to the type of food intended to be stored.

The interior of the refrigerator unit is cooled by cold air that is constantly supplied. The cold air is constantly generated through a heat exchanging operation with a refrigerant based on a refrigeration cycle. The cycle includes a process of compression, condensation, expansion, evaporation. The cold air supplied to the inside of the refrigerator unit is evenly transferred to the inside of the refrigerator by convection to store food, drink, and other items in the refrigerator at a desired temperature.

Generally, a main body of the refrigerator has a rectangular, parallelepiped shape which is open at a front surface. The front surface may provide access to a refrigeration chamber and a freezer chamber located within the body of the refrigerator unit. Further, hinged doors may be fitted to the front side of the main body in order to selectively open and/or close openings to the refrigeration chamber and freezer chamber. In addition, multiple drawers, shelves, receiving boxes, and the like may be provided in the refrigeration chamber and the freezer chamber within the refrigerator unit that are configured for optimally storing various foods, drinks, and other items within a storage space inside the refrigerator unit.

Traditionally, refrigerator units were configured as a top mount type refrigerator in which a freezer chamber is positioned above a refrigeration chamber. Recently, bottom freezer type refrigerator units position the freezer chamber below the refrigeration chamber to enhance user convenience. In the bottom freezer type refrigerator unit, the more frequently used refrigeration chamber is advantageously positioned at the top so that a user may conveniently access the refrigeration chamber without bending over at the waist, as previously required by the top mount type refrigerator unit. The less frequently used freezer chamber is positioned at the bottom.

However, since the freezer chamber is positioned at the lower portion, a bottom freeze type refrigerator unit may lose its design benefits when a user wants to access the lower freezer chamber on a more frequent basis. For example, prepared ice that is stored in the freezer chamber may be a popular item accessed frequently by a particular user. In a bottom freeze type refrigerator unit, since the freezer chamber is positioned below the refrigeration chamber, the user would have to bend over at the waist in order to open the freezer chamber door to access the ice.

In order to solve such a problem, bottom freezer type refrigerators may include a dispenser configured for dispensing ice that is provided in a refrigeration chamber door. In this case, the ice dispenser is also positioned at the upper portion of the refrigerator unit, and more specifically is located above the freezer chamber. In this case, an ice machine for generating ice may be provided in the refrigeration chamber door or in the interior of the refrigeration chamber.

An ice making method for the ice machine may be classified into two types: indirect cooling and direct cooling. An indirect cooling type makes ice by cooling an ice tray that contains water by forced convection supplying cold air to the ice machine. A direct cooling type makes ice by allowing a refrigerant pipe to come into direct contact with the ice tray or water. The indirect cooling type has a drawback in that the cooling speed is lower than that of the direct cooling type. In contrast, the direct cooling type ice making method has an advantage that its cooling speed is quite higher than that of the indirect cooling type ice making method. However, since the refrigerant pipe is arranged in an ice making room in the direct cooling type, the structure of the ice making room becomes complicated. As such, it becomes difficult to manufacture a refrigerator unit following the direct cooling type. Also, because of the complexity, it is difficult to perform work in the ice making room. The difficult manufacturing process severely affects the manufacturing rate of building a direct cooling type refrigerator unit, and also causes the manufacturing cost of the refrigerator unit to be increased. Further, since the refrigerant pipe is arranged inside the ice making room, storage capacity of the ice making room is reduced to that extent.

SUMMARY

In view of the above, embodiments of the present invention provide an apparatus and a method for making ice for a refrigerator unit that is capable of improving the rate of making ice, which improves ice making speed and increases the amount of ice made in a period. Further, embodiments of the present invention provide a compact apparatus for making ice through the arrangement of a refrigerant pipe on the outside of an ice making compartment.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for making ice for a refrigerator unit. The apparatus may include an ice making compartment configured to accommodate an ice tray and to store ice therein; and a first refrigerant pipe configured to move cold air that is circulated by a refrigeration cycle. At least one side surface of the ice making compartment is made of an iron plate material. Also, one side surface of the ice tray is formed in a body with a cooling plate, wherein the cooling plate comes in direct contact with a side wall of the iron plate material. Further, the first refrigerant pipe is attached to an outer surface of the side wall of the iron plate material by aluminum tape.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a method for making ice for a refrigerator includes: providing a refrigerant that is circulated by a refrigeration cycle to a first refrigerant pipe; transferring cold air by heat conduction from the first refrigerant pipe to at least one side wall of an ice making compartment; and transferring the cold air by heat conduction from the at least one side wall of the ice making compartment to a cooling plate that is formed in a body with one side surface of an ice tray accommodated in the ice making compartment. At least one side surface of the ice making compartment is made of an iron plate material, wherein the cooling plate comes in direct contact with a side wall of the iron plate material. Also, the first refrigerant pipe is attached to an outer surface of the side wall of the iron plate material by aluminum tape.

In accordance with another embodiment, a refrigerator is disclosed and includes a freezer chamber located within a main body of the refrigerator, and a refrigeration chamber located within the main body of the refrigerator. The refrigerator includes an apparatus for making ice. The apparatus includes an ice making compartment configured to accommodate an ice tray and to store ice therein; and a first refrigerant pipe configured to move cold air that is circulated by a refrigeration cycle. At least one side surface of a side wall of the ice making compartment is made of an iron plate material. One side surface of the ice tray is formed within a body comprising a cooling plate. The cooling plate comes in direct contact with the side wall comprising the iron plate material. The first refrigerant pipe is attached to an outer surface of the side wall comprising the iron plate material by an aluminum tape.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification and in which like numerals depict like elements, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an apparatus for making ice, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the apparatus for making ice illustrated in FIG. 2, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an apparatus for making ice, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for making ice, according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for making ice, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the various embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While described in conjunction with these embodiments, it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the disclosure to these embodiments. On the contrary, the disclosure is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, in the following detailed description of the present disclosure, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, it will be understood that the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, functions, constituents, procedures, and components have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects and/or features of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator unit 1, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

In particular, as shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator unit 1 may include a main body 2 having therein a food storage space, and is configured for forming an external appearance or exterior. A barrier 4 is configured for partitioning the food storage space formed in the interior cavity of main body 2, used for storing food and drink contained therein, into a refrigeration chamber R at the top thereof, and a freezer chamber F at the bottom thereof. One or more doors may be configured to selectively isolate the interiors of the chambers from the surrounding environment. For example, refrigeration chamber doors 3 are provided at both front edges of a front surface of the main body 2, and are configured through rotation thereof for selectively shielding the refrigeration chamber R through contact in part with sides of the refrigerator unit. A freezer chamber door 5 is configured for shielding a front opening portion of the freezer chamber F.

In this embodiment, although the apparatus 10 for making ice is illustrated as being provided on one side of an upper portion of the refrigeration chamber R, the location is provided merely for illustration purposes only. Alternatively, the apparatus 10 for making ice may be installed in different position within the interior of the refrigeration chamber R, or at a different position, such as the refrigeration chamber door 3, and the like.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an apparatus for making ice for a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

An apparatus 10 for making ice for a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an ice making compartment 120 and a refrigerant pipe 160. The ice making compartment is provided in a case 110 that is configured to form the external appearance of the refrigerator unit 1, in one embodiment. The refrigerant pipe 160 is configured to circulate a refrigerant implementing a cooling or refrigeration cycle. The ice making compartment 120 accommodates an ice tray 130 that generates ice, and stores the ice.

At least one side wall 150 a of the ice making compartment 120 may be composed of a material having high thermal conductivity and high stiffness, for example, an iron plate material. However, if needed, in addition to the one side wall 150 a of the ice making compartment 120, the other side wall 150 d, an upper wall 150 b, and a lower wall 150 c of the ice making compartment 120 may also be made of an iron plate material.

In one embodiment, one side surface of the ice tray 130 may be manufactured in a body having a cooling plate 140. The cooling plate 140 may be an aluminum cooling plate, in one embodiment. The cooling plate 140 may come in contact with the side wall 150 a comprising the iron plate material of the ice making compartment 120.

A refrigerant pipe 160 may be attached to an outer surface of the side wall 150 a comprising the iron plate material of the ice making compartment 120 by an aluminum tape 170. Accordingly, cold air that is generated by the refrigerant pipe 160 is transferred by heat conduction to the cooling plate 140 of the ice tray 130. The ice tray 130 comes in contact with the side wall 150 a comprising the iron plate material of the ice making compartment 120, wherein the side wall 150 a comes in contact with the refrigerant pipe 160 and the cold air that is generated. As such, the side surface of the ice tray 130 is directly cooled by heat conduction using the cold air. That is, the apparatus 10 for making ice of a refrigerator unit 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention can generate ice by the cold air that is transferred by heat conduction through the refrigerant pipe 160, the side wall 150 a comprising the iron plate material of the ice making compartment 120, and the cooling plate 140 formed in a body including the side surface of the ice tray 130.

Further, in order to create an insulation wall of the ice making compartment 120 between a liner 190 and the apparatus 10 for making ice for a refrigerator unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of ribs 180 for maintaining an insulation thickness may be installed on the lower wall 150 c and the side wall 150 d of the ice making compartment 120. Each of the ribs 180 may be configured to come in contact with the liner 190. Through these ribs 180, the lower portion and the side portion of the apparatus 10 for making ice are configured to be spaced apart from the liner 190 by a distance equal to the length of a corresponding rib 180. In one embodiment, urethane is installed (e.g., through a foaming process) in the space surrounding the ice making compartment 120 to form the insulation wall of the ice making compartment 120.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the apparatus 10 for making ice illustrated in FIG. 2, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, all walls of the ice making compartment 120 may be made of an iron plate material, in one embodiment. In another embodiment, only the side wall 150 a that comes in contact with the cooling plate 140, that is formed within a body including the side surface of the ice tray 130, may be made of an iron plate material.

In another embodiment, referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrating the apparatus 10 for making ice, the refrigerant pipe 160 is arranged on the outside of the ice making compartment 120. As such, an internal structure of the ice making compartment 120 can be simplified, and the storage capacity of the ice making compartment 120 can be increased.

In addition, since there is no need for cold air supply ducts that are used to supply the cold air to the ice making compartment 120, there is a reduction in the number of components of the refrigerator unit. As such, because there are less components, productivity of manufacturing the refrigerator units can be improved. In addition, because there are less components, the cost to manufacture each refrigerator unit may be reduced.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an apparatus 10 for making ice, according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is similar to FIG. 2 except that an additional refrigerant pipe 165 is included in the upper wall 150 b of the ice making compartment 120. As shown in the embodiment of FIG. 2, the refrigerant pipe 160 is attached to only the side wall 150 a of the ice making compartment 120, wherein the side wall 150 a comes in contact with the cooling plate 140 that is formed within a body comprising the side surface of the ice tray 130.

However, as illustrated in FIG. 4, a refrigerant pipe 165 may also be attached to an outer surface of the upper wall 150 b of the ice making compartment 120. In one implementation, the refrigerant pipe 165 may be attached to an outer surface of the upper wall 150 b of the ice making compartment 120 by an aluminum tape 170. As shown, the upper wall 150 b of the ice making compartment 120 may be formed of an iron plate material having high thermal conductivity. Once the refrigerant pipe 165 is attached to the outer surface thereof, cold air that is transferred from the refrigerant pipe 165 to the upper wall 150 b is also transferred into the ice making compartment 120. As such, cold air is circulated in the whole ice making compartment 120 by thermal convection, so that the ice can be better generated in the ice tray 130.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram chart illustrating a method for making ice, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The structures and features of the components of the apparatus 10 for making ice according to the embodiment described in FIG. 2 will now be described in relation to the flow diagram of FIG. 5.

The method for making ice as illustrated in FIG. 5 includes: providing a refrigerant that is circulated by a cooling or refrigeration cycle to a first refrigerant pipe 160 (S210); transferring cold air by heat conduction from the first refrigerant pipe 160 to at least one side wall 150 a of an ice making compartment 120 (S220); and transferring the cold air by heat conduction from the at least one side wall 150 a of the ice making compartment 120 to a cooling plate 140 that is formed within a body comprising one side surface of an ice tray 130 accommodated in the ice making compartment 120 (S230).

In this case, as illustrated in FIG. 2, at least one side wall 150 a of the ice making compartment 120 may be composed of an iron plate material. Also, the cooling plate 140 may come in contact with the side wall 150 a comprising the iron plate material. Further, the first refrigerant pipe 160 may be attached to an outer surface of the side wall 150 a comprising the iron plate material by an aluminum tape 170.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for making ice according to an embodiment of the present invention. The structures and features of the components of the apparatus 10 for making ice according to the embodiment described in FIG. 4 will now be described in relation to the flow diagram of FIG. 6.

The method for making ice as illustrated in FIG. 6 includes: providing a refrigerant that is circulated by a cooling or refrigeration cycle to a first refrigerant pipe 160 (S310); transferring cold air by heat conduction from the first refrigerant pipe 160 to at least one side wall 150 a of an ice making compartment 120 (S320); transferring the cold air by heat conduction from the at least one side wall 150 a of the ice making compartment 120 to a cooling plate 140 that is formed within a body comprising one side surface of an ice tray 130, wherein the ice tray 130 is accommodated in the ice making compartment 120 (S330); providing the refrigerant that is circulated by the cooling or refrigeration cycle to a second refrigerant pipe 165 (S340); transferring the cold air by heat conduction from the second refrigerant pipe 165 to an upper wall 150 b of the ice making compartment 120 (S350); and transferring the cold air by thermal convection from the upper wall 150 b into the interior of the ice making compartment 120 (S360).

In this case, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the at least side wall 150 a and the upper wall 150 b of the ice making compartment 120 may be made of the iron plate material. The cold air is transferred from the refrigerant pipe 160 to the ice tray 130 through the side wall 150 a and the cooling plate 140 by thermal conduction. Also, the cold air of the refrigerant pipe 165 is transferred to the upper wall 150 b of the ice making compartment 120 through heat conduction, and the cold air is transferred by thermal convection into the ice making compartment 120, wherein the cold air is circulated through convection. Accordingly, the advantages of both the direct cooling type and the indirect cooling type in methods for ice making can be used.

As described above, the apparatus and the method for making ice for a refrigerator unit according to the embodiments of the present invention can improve the speed of making ice, and increase the amount of ice made within a period of time.

Further, since the refrigerant pipe is arranged on the outside of the ice making compartment, the apparatus for making ice can be simplified.

Also, since an apparatus for making ice is more compact due to the outside location of the refrigerant piping, the storage capacity of the apparatus for making ice and/or the refrigerator unit can be increased.

Further, since cold air supply ducts for supplying the cold air to the ice making compartment are not required, thereby lessening the number of components and the complexity of a refrigerator unit, productivity of manufacturing refrigerator units can be improved. Also, because the improved refrigerator unit has less components and is less complex, the cost of manufacturing the refrigerator unit is lessened.

While the present invention has been described with respect to the preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited thereto. It will be understood that a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains may substitute and change components without any limitation and these substitutions and changes also belong to the scope of the present invention. The illustrative discussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. It should be construed that the present invention has the widest range in compliance with the basic idea disclosed in the invention. Many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings. Although it is possible for those skilled in the art to combine and substitute the disclosed embodiments to embody the other types that are not specifically disclosed in the invention, they do not depart from the scope of the present invention as well. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention. Further, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

The process parameters and sequence of steps described and/or illustrated herein are given by way of example only and can be varied as desired. For example, while the steps illustrated and/or described herein may be shown or discussed in a particular order, these steps do not necessarily need to be performed in the order illustrated or discussed. The various example methods described and/or illustrated herein may also omit one or more of the steps described or illustrated herein or include additional steps in addition to those disclosed.

Embodiments according to the invention are thus described. While the present disclosure has been described in particular embodiments, it should be appreciated that the invention should not be construed as limited by such embodiments. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for making ice for a refrigerator, comprising: an ice making compartment configured to accommodate an ice tray and to store ice therein; and a first refrigerant pipe configured to move cold air that is circulated by a refrigeration cycle, wherein at least one side surface of a side wall of the ice making compartment is made of an iron plate material, one side surface of the ice tray is formed within a body comprising a cooling plate, wherein the cooling plate comes in direct contact with the side wall comprising the iron plate material, and the first refrigerant pipe is attached to an outer surface of the side wall comprising the iron plate material by an aluminum tape.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a second refrigerant pipe configured to move the cold air that is circulated by the cooling cycle, wherein an upper wall of the ice making compartment is made of an iron plate material, and the second refrigerant pipe is attached to the outer surface of the upper wall by an aluminum tape.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the side wall, an upper wall, and a lower wall of the ice making compartment are made of an iron plate material.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein ribs for maintaining an isolation thickness are attached to a lower wall of the ice making compartment and a side wall that opposes the side wall comprising the iron plate material.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the ribs make the ice making compartment spaced apart from a liner, wherein the ribs define an isolation thickness.
 6. A method for making ice for a refrigerator, comprising: providing a refrigerant that is circulated by a cooling cycle to a first refrigerant pipe; transferring cold air by heat conduction from the first refrigerant pipe to at least one side wall of an ice making compartment; and transferring the cold air by heat conduction from the at least one side wall of the ice making compartment to a cooling plate that is formed in a body with one side surface of an ice tray accommodated in the ice making compartment, wherein the at least one side surface of the ice making compartment is made of an iron plate material, the cooling plate comes in direct contact with a side wall of the iron plate material, and the first refrigerant pipe is attached to an outer surface of the side wall of the iron plate material by an aluminum tape.
 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising: providing the refrigerant that is circulated by the cooling cycle to a second refrigerant pipe; transferring cold air by heat conduction from the second refrigerant pipe to an upper wall of the ice making compartment; and transferring the cold air by thermal convection from the upper wall into the ice making compartment, wherein the upper wall is made of an iron plate material, and the second refrigerant pipe is attached to an outer surface of the upper wall by an aluminum tape.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the side wall, an upper wall, and a lower wall of the ice making compartment are made of an iron plate material
 9. The method of claim 7, further comprising: attaching ribs for maintaining an isolation thickness to a lower wall of the ice making compartment and a side wall that opposes the side wall comprising the iron plate material.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the ribs make the ice making compartment spaced apart from a liner, wherein the ribs define an isolation thickness.
 11. A refrigerator, comprising: a freezer chamber located within a main body of the refrigerator; a refrigeration chamber located within the main body of the refrigerator; and an apparatus for making ice, wherein the apparatus comprises: an ice making compartment configured to accommodate an ice tray and to store ice therein; and a first refrigerant pipe configured to move cold air that is circulated by a refrigeration cycle, wherein at least one side surface of a side wall of the ice making compartment is made of an iron plate material, one side surface of the ice tray is formed within a body comprising a cooling plate, wherein the cooling plate comes in direct contact with the side wall comprising the iron plate material, and the first refrigerant pipe is attached to an outer surface of the side wall comprising the iron plate material by an aluminum tape.
 12. The refrigerator of claim 11, further comprising: a second refrigerant pipe configured to move the cold air that is circulated by the cooling cycle, wherein an upper wall of the ice making compartment is made of an iron plate material, and the second refrigerant pipe is attached to the outer surface of the upper wall by an aluminum tape.
 13. The refrigerator of claim 11, wherein the side wall, an upper wall, and a lower wall of the ice making compartment are made of an iron plate material.
 14. The refrigerator of claim 11, wherein ribs for maintaining an isolation thickness are attached to a lower wall of the ice making compartment and a side wall that opposes the side wall comprising the iron plate material.
 15. The refrigerator of claim 14, wherein the ribs make the ice making compartment spaced apart from a liner, wherein the ribs define an isolation thickness. 